CENTRIFUGAL FLUIDIZATION: EFFECTS OF PARTICLE DENSITY AND SIZE DISTRIBUTION

Abstract

Based on the model of the centrifugal fluidized bed as a homogeneous viscous rotating fluid, the equation for conservation of momentum in the tangential direction is solved to obtain expressions for bed pressure drop and the radial variations of tangential velocity within the bed region. Comparisons with available data on bed pressure drop indicate that the fluidized bed rotates as a rigid body. Experimental data are also presented on minimum fluidization velocity and bed pressure drop with different particle densities and size distributions, verifying the validity of the available models for packed bed and fluidized bed pressure drop and minimum fluidization velocity in a centrifugal fluidized system.